Propositum
by ShedSeeStars
Summary: Strange things seem to always happen when you're around Angel and his crew, but this time is different. Cordelia must figure out why she's been sent back to earth, and why the "Final Battle" really wasn't the end. Propositum: Loosely translated as "Our purpose" - let's follow the gangs new journey to find out there true purpose.
1. Prologue

**-CORDELIA'S POV-**

"Let's go to work"

That was the last thing I heard Angel say as I watched my friends battle so much evil, so many things they had never seen before, so many things they had never even thought possible.

I mean really? _A dragon?_ Of all things in the world, they have to face all of those things, _PLUS _a dragon?

Anyways...

I had to watch everything. I had a front row seat upstairs with the Powers That Be and I had to sit there and do nothing.

Maybe I should catch you guys up a little bit.

I'm Cordelia Chase. Ex popular cheerleader, Scooby Gang member and beautiful princess of the family. Previously vision girl with a half demonic side that got my friends at Angel Investigations in some trouble... Let's _not_ relive that part - _shall we_? Currently, incorporeal and hanging out with my Powers That Be friends in some unworldly place. Sounds cool, right?

NOT.

Like I said, I had to watch my friends walk into something I had to lead them into. I put Angel on that path, but I couldn't help him win. I had to watch them all die...

Or... I mean... well. That's the thing. There was fighting, a big BOOM, and then a shiny blue light everywhere. I can't see them anywhere, but I feel like I'm in some sort of dream. I feel like I can almost reach them... Like they are around me, I just can't see a thing.

And of course the lovely Powers That Be can't fill me in on any one of their plans. They won't even tell me if this is a plan or if they have just lost control. *Sigh*

So now you're caught up. The Powers That Be have me trapped in this stupid cloudy world, let all my friends die.. _and probably the rest of the world too.._ And I have no idea what my purpose is anymore. Me, that's right. Purpose girl has absolutely _no clue _what she's doing.

All I do know is that this isn't over. I'm not taking this "It's the way it's meant to be", crap from the Powers. Nope. Nu-uh. Not gonna happen.

I'm gonna fight.

_(Cordelia then gets a tingly feeling as she stands up, and then everything goes to black)_


	2. Chapter 1

**-CORDELIA'S POV-**

"Cordelia!" I hear a voice speaking through the darkness.

"Cordelia.. Rise and shine sweet heavens pie." The voice continues, faintly. Yet, I can't seem to open my eyes. I felt cold, but nothing else. I don't even sense a presence of any sort that could be speaking to me. I don't even sense _my_ presence.

_Okay, PTB, is this just another one of you torturous jokes you have? Okay, okay. Bravo. Can we move on now?_

"Cordelia.. What on the great green earth are you talking about?" I heard the voice say, yet this time, the voice is familiar.. I am slowly able to open my eyes.

"Lorne?" I start sitting up, confused.. "But you… you're _dead_.. But now, you're _here_?" Shocked, but finding myself completely happy. I jump up and hug him. Yet, my strength isn't up to speed.

"Whoa there sugar plum," He says as he catches my weak fall.. I embrace him in our hug. "What are you talking about? I'm more alive than I have ever been! Did you have a little something weird to eat before you went to bed, darling?" He looks at me curiously, while looking around _my_ room to see if anything was off.

_Wait, this isn't my room. This, this looks an awful lot like a Wolfram & Hart room._

"What? No.. I.. I'm not sure what's going on right now." I say, rubbing my head as if I just got knocked out and woke up from a coma.

Our attention is drawn to another person that is walking into the room. I strain my eyes to get the focused on what seems to be a mans tall dark silhouette.

"Cordy!" He says with a smile, "I made you some—"

His sentence gets cut off by me jumping up, weakly, to hug him.

"Angel?" I mutter into his ear as we hug.

Seeming quite surprised, but in the moment. Angel tightly hugs me back, smiling, giving Lorne a thumbs up.

"Way to go big guy, listen. I'll let you two kids have some _time_.. Acting like you haven't seen each other for years" Lorne says, chuckling, while leaving the room.

"Angel," I say to him as I pull away from our hug, "What's going on? He's dead, you're dead. I'm with the Powers That Be. You guys died in the final battle. How am I in my room? Why is my room in Wolfram & Hart?" I mumble so quickly that I doubt he picked up on any of that. This just doesn't make any sense.

"Whoa, Cordy." He says, motioning me to sit down as he puts a warm plate of my favorite breakfast on my lap. "Calm down, and eat this. I made it for you." Angel always speaks with a charming smile, but something strange was going on this time.

"Alright, what are you up to, bubba?" I say in a serious tone, laying the plate of food on the night stand next to me.

"What are you talking about, Cordy? Are you alright?" He says to me while observing me. It seems as though his eyes were wondering my face for faults. Although, I was doing the same to him.

"Nothing.." I say unsure of my thoughts, "It must have been a bad dream."

Angel tilts his head, "What happened?"

I think about telling him what _really_ happened, or what I thought happened.. But other words slip out.

"You know what.. I don't remember now. You know how that dreaming stuff goes. You forget after you wake up, darn. But that's alright." My voice stuttering and quick. "I'm just going to go get cleaned up and I'll meet you somewhere, out there. Okay?" I offer an insisting smile and Angel nods his head almost curiously and walks out of my room.

I find myself pacing back and forth thinking to myself.

_What is going on here? I know I'm not crazy, this is all real. Well, hopefully it's all real and I'm not crazy. *Takes a deep heavy breath in* What if I am crazy? What if that was really all a dream? No! Stop it Cordelia! You were with the Powers That Be. You watched it all happen. Your imagination is so not that disturbingly vivid. *Sighs* Okay, I have to figure this out. I'm in Wolfram & Hart, that shouldn't be too hard. _

I quickly shower and get dressed. I step out of my room in shock.

"Okay, this place is a _lot_ bigger than I remember." I say to myself.

"It's exactly the same silly." I heard a voice say. A girl with a light country twang in her voice.

"Fred? You're ali- Uh. I mean hi!" I say as I hug her tightly.

"Oh, well good morning to you too, Cordy." She says with a bit of a giggle. "How are you?"

I stand there thinking to myself. Fred is _always_ the go to person when you have some unbelievable creepy things going on.

"Well.. You know what.. I'm great." I couldn't spit out what I swear had happened. I can't imagine how that would make anyone feel. _Oh hi, I'm Cordelia, your best friend, and I know I saw you die. _Nope. Not going there.

I continue with a gentle smile, "How are you, Fred?"

"Oh I'm great. I've been working on a theory." She says, excitedly.

"A theory? You know, I'd love to hear it, but I am supposed to go meet Angel somewhere. Where's his office at, again?" I say kindly, with a desperate but subtle panic to _not_ hear that theory.

"You don't remember? We all go in there everyday." She says, concerned. She is smart enough to know that something is up by now.

"You know me," I say with a small chuckle. "Space cadet, Cordy"

"Cordy.. If something was… wrong.. You know you could talk to me about it.. Right?" She insists with a light tone, but in all seriousness.

"I know, Fred. Thank you." I reply, speaking softly.

She gives me a bright smile like she always does, "Good. Oh, um.. Angel's office is that way." She points past Harmony's desk, to these big doors. "I heard there's a meeting though. Some business stuff, you know. You might have to just wait for a second. A quick second."

I kindly thank her as she scurries off, oddly. But I figure that's how Fred normally is.

"Cordy!" I hear a voice say to me. My face squints hoping it's not—

My thoughts get cut off as Harmony jumps up from her desk and runs over to give me a hug.

"Hey, Harmony!" I say with a light chuckle, and slightly fake smile. "Look, I'd love to chat but I really need to talk to Angel right now."

"Oh he's like totally in a meeting." She says in her normal, preppy voice. "He told me to keep you here though. You know, so he can talk with you when he's done." She says with a smile.

"Oh! Great!" I say, in a rather sarcastic tone.

**-MEANWHILE, IN THE MEETING. ANGEL'S POV- **

"No! She can't know what's happening. I don't want _anyone_ to tell Cordy what's going on." I say in a stern voice. I just want to protect her. "Do you all understand me?"

Wes, Gunn and Lorne all agree and nod their heads. Fred joins and nods her head as she walks in.

"She's not one to underestimate though." Wes speaks gently. "She _will_ figure it out, sooner or later."

I try to ignore what he's saying, but it's true. Cordy was always the one who was able to figure things out.

"Yeah, I mean.. when have we _ever_ been able to successfully keep secrets from each other?" Fred continues, as she sits down. "Sorry I'm late, Angel. I ran into her. She wants to talk with you"

"I know." I say, letting out a sigh. "Guys, It's our job to make sureshe doesn't figure things out. Not yet. Not until those idiot Powers That Be decide to come clean."

I hear some banging and a couple of screams as two girls crash through my office doors. The meetings attention is now focused on them.

"Sorry bossy, I tried to hold her down but.. She kicks ass." Harmony says, then I glance over at Cordy.

"Cordy" I say, "What are.. What are you doing?" As myself and the others try to act _natural_.

"Don't you 'Cordy' me, bubba." She says as she get's up off of Harmony. "Until the Powers That Be come clean about what?"

_No one knew what to say to Cordelia._


	3. Chapter 2

**-ANGEL'S POV-**

"Oh! Uh.." I quickly say, trying to mutter out the best excuse I could think of. "There's this.. Uh.. Big scaly demon." I look at the rest of the gang to pick up from there.

"Yes, a scaly demon. Right, scary too. He's big." Fred says, trying to sound convincing and scared.

"Quite terrifying, actually. We suspect—" Wes says.. But I cut him off to speak. "We can't really suspect anything, but, nothing we can't handle."

"Uh-huh." Cordelia huffs, crossing her arms with disbelief in here eyes that are burning straight through me. "That's fine, I can be clueless. For now." She scans her pointer finger across us all.

She walked out of the room with a grin that made me realize she's too smart to not know we're hiding something.

"Not a word. From any of you!" I say sternly to the team as they leave the room. I walk to my desk an sit down. Brooding, as everyone likes to call it. Moments later, I look up and notice that Wes is walking back in my office, quietly, with his head into a book like usual. "What is it?" I ask, not sure if I actually want to know.

"Propositum." He says, almost instantly. I look at him with a confused daze as he continues, "I've found new information regarding, the prophecy." Wes says in a serious tone. "It's called Propositum. It loosely translates as 'Our Purpose', it states that there will be a final battle of the world. Good and evil will fight and none shall win."

_Oh that sounds familiar, we got that part down last week. _

"Well that doesn't sound good." I say in a sarcastic tone. Wes gives me a smirk as if trying not to laugh, but to focus on the seriousness. "What else does it say?" I ask him.

"Only when the seer of all is the last to survive, shall the world be restored to normal. The seer and all others will then be able to return to earth, but only if she is traded for a champion."

Wes looks at me with a dim look.

"Spike." I mutter, looking down. Not wanting to admit he's the champion, but he is.

_It's always about the prophecy's. _

"Yes. That's why we haven't seen him since the battle." Wes tells me.

"Can we bring him back?" I ask him, scratching my head, surprisingly hoping for a positive answer.

"I'm not sure yet. I have my department on this, we'll figure this out." He says reassuringly.

"Wes.." I say, my thoughts out a bit.

"Yes, Angel?" He says, closing his book and sitting down in the chair in front of my desk.

"Do you think Fred remembers being Illyria? Or.. Her taking over.." I mumble out, not wanting to bring out emotions.

"She hasn't said anything," He says, taking off his glasses to continue. "We remember everything, I'm afraid she would be inclined to remember that too. She's strong though, she won't admit it."

"And you? I mean.. you're okay now, with what happened to you?" I ask.

Well, that was a stupid question. Asking if he's okay with being stabbed and dying.

"It was quick.. And," Wes says, looking down with almost a smile on his face.

"And she was there, Fred I mean.. She was there, for you." I smile sympathetically with my question as he shakes his head with a 'yes' answer.

I rub my hand against my face, against my eyes, trying to push away the tiredness. "It's so unreal that all of this is happening. That it isn't over yet. That we remember everything up to dieing in the final battle, yet we're back to more prophecy's and battles. We're never going to catch a break."

We looks at me wearily. "We knew that the second we teamed up with the law firm of all hell." He chuckles a bit to relieve the tension.

We both stand up and continue to speak as we walk down the halls of Wolfram & Hart.

I turn to Harmony's desk to ask a request of her. "Harmony, get all departments doing what they can to find out more about this prophecy. Propositum."

"Uh, boss." Harmony coughs subtly, and points in the direction of someone behind me.

"You know, for a dark mysterious vampire, you suck at keeping secrets." Cordelia says, crossing her arms with a smirk.

"Cordy!" My voice cracks. I didn't realize she was there, but she's right. I should be much more stealthy than this. "We were just working on some cases. Like usual. No secrets."

She smiles, and looks down calmly as she unfolds her arms and begins to walk towards me. She comes face to face with me, and looks me in my eyes. I feel the chills I always feel when she's near me. Like if I had a living heart, it would be beating immensely to the beat of a hard rock song. I'm looking back in here eyes, not wanting to allow her to break me.

"No secrets, huh?" She says, softly. She pauses to look in my eyes, like she's reading my soul, but we both snap out of the moment thanks to an awkward cough from Wesley. She looks down with a disappointed vibe and steps back. I take a deep breath.

"Cordelia, we're just working on a case. It's absolutely nothing of a worry. I do have a job for you though, if you'd like." Wesley tells Cordelia.

"Sure, I'm game." Cordelia says, still with a soft tone.

"Very well, come with me then." Wesley lightly guides Cordelia towards his office as he turns to me and gives me a weak smile. I shake my head in an up and down motion to let him know I'd continue our investigation while he kept her busy.

"It sucks lying to her. Doesn't it?" Harmony asks me, concerned.

"More than it should." I reply, still looking in the direction Cordelia was walking.

"She'll be fine. You'll be fine. Just figure out this prophecy thingy and make it all better. Then there's no more lies, bossy." She gives a perky smile in hopes to restore my hope in this situation.

"Thanks, Harmony." I give her a weak smile back.

She was right. Which was weird, Harmony, _right?_

_I have to figure this out. Soon. For Cordy._

_(Angel walks to his office as Harmony dials to all departments, letting them know of their new mission)_


	4. Chapter 3, Angel's thoughts

**-ANGEL'S POV (his thoughts)-**

It's strange.

I've been back, well, we've all been back but I'm barely finding myself in a daze.

**We're alive. **

_Well as alive as some of us can be. _

I notice the little things as I walk around the hell hole of Wolfram & Hart. I'm not stuck noticing the evil I need to change, but the good we need to hold on to.

When I walk out of my office, the first thing I see is Harmony. As much as I nag at her, she is an amazing secretary. A bit overly peppy but I suppose that is not a terrible thing.

I turn my head and glance over at Lorne singing happily because walking through the halls of an evil law-firm never gets him down.

I have no clue what we would do without his happy-go-lucky attitude, and alto kick ass voice.

I lightly chuckle to myself at the irony of my thoughts.

I look upstairs and see Gunn talking his lawyer business with a demon that has inside connections with the Powers That Be. Gunn can get anyone to talk, he's more in this team than he thinks he is.

Then I get a bit startled by a large unnatural bang from the lab area.

"Don't worry, it's fine. Everything's fine." Fred assures everyone. "Just an experiment." She smiles and heads back into her work, jittery.

It's great having Fred back. She's an asset to keeping the team together, we've all missed her so. I just have to admit there's something off about her lately. Like Illyria hasn't completely left, like they're roommates - in a weird sense. Never the less, there's a bigger problem at stake.

I find myself walking next to a window to which I see a room with Wes and Cordy studying the books.

_I wonder what "job" he's keeping her occupied with. _

Wesley is a smart man. I was always jealous of the things he can figure out by just a few words in a book.

Cordelia looks up at me and smiles, weakly.

It really does kill me to lie to her. It's for her own good though, I mean, we have to figure this out with the Powers before she gets involved.

I smile back at her and head to my office to do my part. I have to figure this out. For Cordy.

_And for Spike…_


End file.
